David Crockett

Art Historical Context

This engraving, titled *David Crockett* and created around 1836, captures the likeness of the legendary American frontiersman, folk hero, and congressman David Crockett. Produced by master engraver Asher B. Durand in collaboration with Anthony Lewis de Rose, it represents the state of two—a refined version of the print likely with enhanced details from an earlier proof. Measuring just 9 1/8 x 8 3/8 inches on the, this intimate portrait exemplifies the precision of 19th-century American printmaking, a medium that democratized access to celebrity images through affordable reproductions. Durand, a pivotal figure in early American art who later co-founded the Hudson River School, excelled in engraving techniques that translated paintings into intricate lines using burins on copper plates. Here, the process allowed for subtle shading and texture, ideal for conveying Crockett's rugged charisma amid his mythic status. Created shortly after Crockett's death at the Battle of the Alamo in March 1836, the print fueled his burgeoning legend, blending portraiture with cultural iconography during a time of national expansion and hero worship. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Mrs. Frederic F. Durand, 1930), it offers a window into how prints preserved American identity, making distant heroes feel vividly present.

About the Artist

Asher Brown Durand|Anthony Lewis De Rose|David Crockett · 1796–1886

Was a principal member of the Hudson River School. American artist; associated with the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Comment on works: Portraits